A Haircut, a Potluck, and a Baby Blessing

It's been a day. Not necessarily great, but there have been a few good things thrown in.

Like having Mar's track meet canceled due to weather. I had signed up to to be a finish line timer, and was not looking forward to three hours of standing, especially on a not-so-great day. I'll take it as a tender mercy in the form of rain and a bit of hail.

Nothing cheers me up like reflecting on the good times, so I figured I would take a few minutes to finish up our Utah trip... when was it?... a long, long time ago.

The haircut:

 Taylor has been growing out his hair for a while (shhhhh... don't tell BYU-I)

He has always been a fan of long-ish hair, and had taken the opportunity to let his locks grow.

I think he has a little Flynn Rider in him.

 When we came to Utah, I told him I would give him a trim... a cut... whatever he needed wanted.

When it came time to pull the haircutting equipment out, he still wasn't sure which to go for.

The trim, or the cut.

He asked the opinion of his adoring wife.

"You look handsome with long OR short hair."

He asked me,

"It's up to you."

He asked his Grandpa Syddall.

"You want to know what I told the boys who had long hair in my ward?..."

followed by a pro-short-hair Bishop-type statement that tipped the scales in the cut direction.

 Within the hour, Tay went from long and luscious...

to short and serious.

(On a side note, I said goodbye to my long locks today, which I am currently sorely regretting. 
I will get over it. Hair grows back, right? I should know.)

The Potluck:

Jill and I planned a combined family potluck to celebrate all the good things going on:

Britt and Josh's graduations

Nate's birthday and impending mission departure (he went in to the MTC yesterday, btw)

The new parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents (and great aunts/uncles)... 

with the arrival of Noah.

And Austin and Britt's new puppy Conan.

We hoped for good weather, and were blessed with the perfect day.

(That church in the background is the very same building Bill and I had our wedding reception at. Still standing, after all these years.)

We had a great turn-out from both of our extended families.

The food was awesome (I love a good potluck!)

There was lots of room to run and play.

Bill should have skipped the run part, though. He injured his shoulder in a race against his brother Jeff, and our nephews Hunter and Kade. His pride was hurt, too. 

I'll bet your wondering how you injure a shoulder in a foot race...

Taylor and Lynnea's friends from Texas were in town and came to join the fun.

Ahhh.... doesn't everybody love family pictures?

Conan was showered with love and attention.

And the girls loved the nearby horses, too.

It was lovely. Jill and I decided that if you plan it, they will come.

Simple. Low-key. You just have to give people a reason to gather.

It was really great to see so many family and friends there.

The Baby Blessing:

 The four generation photo.

Parents, grandparents, and greats. 

We were so happy to be able to attend this fun event before heading back home.

What Mar and Hannah did while they were waiting for us all to quit chatting. 

A last goodbye to Nate before he heads off to Moldova/Romania.

After hugs and goodbyes, we were on our way.
Seriously, the best weekend ever.